Ive been thinking about this as it becomes clear that, even at an elementary level, Mr. Obama often doesnt know what hes talking about. It isnt so much his analysis of global events thats wrong, though it is. The deeper problem is the foundation of knowledge on which that analysis is built. Here, for instance, is Mr. Obama answering a question posed in August by New York Times columnist Tom Friedman, who wanted the presidents thoughts on the new global disorder. You cant generalize across the globe, the president replied. Because there are a bunch of places where good news keeps on coming. Asia continues to grow . . . and not only is it growing but youre starting to see democracies in places like Indonesia solidifying. The trend lines in Latin America are good, he added. Overall, theres still cause for optimism. Here, now, is reality: In Japan, the economy is contracting. Chinas real-estate market is a bubble waiting to burst. Indonesias democracy may be solidifying, but so is Islamism and the persecution of religious minorities. Democracy has been overthrown in Thailand. The march toward freedom in Burma—supposedly one of Mr. Obamas (and Hillary Clintons ) signature diplomatic victories—has stalled. India may do better than before under its new prime minister, Narendra Modi, but gone are the days when serious people think of India as a future superpower. The government of Pakistan is, as ever, on the verge of collapse. ENLARGE ZUMA PRESS As for Latin America, Argentina just defaulted for the second time in 13 years. Brazil is in recession. Venezuela is a brutal dictatorship. Ecuador is well on its way to becoming one. I begin with these examples not because there arent bright spots in Asia (South Korea is one) or Latin America (Colombia is another) but because its so typically Obama. Warn against generalization—and then generalize. Cite an example—but one that isnt representative. Talk about a trend line—but get the direction of the trend wrong. online.wsj/articles/bret-stephens-what-obama-knows-1411425811
Posted on: Tue, 23 Sep 2014 06:04:17 +0000
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